Circles
by NCIS-Ninja
Summary: Love tonight, and pain tomorrow. That's the circle of Jade and Tori's life. One night, Jade tries to push them out of the circle using extreme measures. Rated M for sexual situations.
1. Chapter 1

Circles

"Hey, Vega." Jade said as she leaned against the locker next to Tori's. "Hey, West." Tori replied, slamming the locker shut and turning to look at the pale girl. Jade's blue eyes seemed to reflect so much to Tori. They were standing fairly close together, but to anybody else, they could just be gossiping.

"I'm coming over today." Jade said, not bothering to ask permission. By the lockers, their thumbs lightly grazed each other, but didn't stay in contact very long. "That works. My parents are working late anyways." Tori looked at Jade's hair. Most people say it's black, but Tori thinks it looks like a raven color. She's not sure though, most of the time her fingers were in it, not her eyes.

"Trina?" Jade asked, raising a pierced eyebrow. "I think she's going to the mall with her friends." Tori looked around to make sure none of her friends were nearby

"Good." Jade snickered. Tori instinctively leaned forward for a goodbye-kiss, but Jade's hand grabbed her shoulder.

"We're single." Jade said as she pressed Tori back a bit, "Remember?" Jade dropped her voice lower, "I'll take you home after school." Tori nodded.

Two single girls. Nothing more. She was just a normal teen and Jade was just the normal friend that usually hated her, right? And Cows have three eyes too. Who was she kidding? She was madly in love with her mortal enemy. Nobody could know, though. As long as they were two normal girls, there would be no reason for anyone to check the Janitor's closet during Tori and Jade's Study Hall. Jade seemed perfectly fine teasing, taunting, and all over messing with Tori at school, and never seemed to feel anything wrong with kissing her in the dark of night. It didn't make much sense, but neither of them really questioned it. All they knew was that only they were to know. That was like a law of whatever relationship they didn't have. It was unbearably amazing.

..::..::..::..::..::..

"Hey, Vega." Jade said casually as she walked up next to Tori. It was how every conversation began with them. If it were at school it always ended with "We're two single girls, remember?" and if they were alone it ended with "I love you." No matter how it ended, it didn't make sense at all. Sense didn't matter though did it? When Jade was with Beck it didn't matter at all. They had their first kiss even before the break up. It was a secret then. Even if Beck knew, he'd probably not be upset at his girlfriend kissing another girl. Regardless, the break up happened, and Jade was single. That was only time Tori ever brought up the prospect of them as a couple. Not immediately after, of course, but almost a month later. They would still see each other after they split, and every single time, Tori was tempted to ask. When she finally did, Jade considered it. She eventually came to the conclusion that it wouldn't work. That she wasn't ready for anything yet. That was almost four months ago, and Tori never brought it up since. That's what brought them to this point. To what would become the next step in their relationship.

"Vega." Jade stated, snapping Tori out of the flashback.

"Huh?" Tori said, shaking her head.

"You're so thick." Jade said as she got into her car, motioning for Tori to get into the passenger side. Right at the moment that Tori got in, Cat ran up to the girls. She was holding a banana and shoved it in Tori's face.

"Tori! I found this yellow fruit and thought you might want it." Cat said. Tori smiled and took the banana, "Thanks, Cat. Hey we're going back to my place-" Tori was cut off my Jade's hand on her thigh. Tori was about to offer that Cat come with them, but she took the hint that Jade didn't want Cat around. Tori just smiled, ending her sentence there. Cat smiled and skipped away.

"So thick." Jade murmured as she pulled out of the parking lot. The car ride was silent. Absolutely silent. Tori rarely went to Jade's house. Her father didn't like creative people, so it was like she spoke Spanish around him, and her mother was rarely in the house. If Mrs. West was there, she was screaming and cursing. They always went to Tori's house, or somewhere in between. They tried so hard to avoid everyone from school. When they arrived at Tori's house, it was another silent walk to her front door. Tori walked into her living room and they threw their bags down on the floor. Jade fell back on to one part of the couch and picked up the remote and turned the TV on. Jade kicked her legs up on the coffee table, and looked up at Tori expectantly. Tori sat down on the couch perpendicular to Jade and put her legs over the pale girls lap. Jade put a hand over Tori's leg, rubbing circles against the skin through the leggings. It was just nice for a while, feeling Jade rub her leg, watching TV. It was so simple.

Jade rubbed up to Tori's upper thigh. Tori shivered as she felt Jade rising up her thighs. The goth ghosted a devilish grin on her face as she continued to watch the TV show. Jade put on that '1000 Ways to Die' show that always gave Tori the creeps. Most of the time Tori wondered why people would even try something that stupid. She was having a hard time concentrating on the show, though. Jade pulled Tori's heels off and ran a finger across Tori's toes. She pinched at the fabric of the leggings and started to pull them off. The black lacy looking pattern slid off Tori's legs and out from under her blue skirt. Tori's fingers ran against the black fabric of Jade's skirt. They never talked much. Even if they did, it was light. Most of the time, their lips were occupied. Jade dropped the leggings off the side of the couch, in the space between the orange sofas.

"Comfortable?" Jade said as she returned to rubbing circles on Tori's smooth, tan legs. "Yeah." Tori said, only half thinking about what she was saying. She had the other half pretending to watch the TV, but really was using that half to think about Jade... And circles, so many circles. Yeah, that half was way more interested in Jade's fingers running swirls up Tori's inner thighs. Tori looked over at Jade as she ran her fingers along Tori's more sensitive areas. It was close. Jade had gotten close before, but they'd never actually done it. It's not like she didn't want to. She would love to be as intimate as possible, it's just that things were so confusing with Jade. Things tended to get rough with Jade, like her anger, lust, jealousy, hate, and pain was poured out. The cap was loosened on all those bottled up emotions. Especially the pain. There was so much pain in Jade. From her home life, with her father that never shows love for her, and her mother that just fights with her father and yells at her. The pain from hiding everything about her from everyone everyday at school. All of it was just seeping out when she was with Tori. When she was with her, she shed the mask. Because of all this, Tori didn't think taking anything too far with Jade was a good idea. Jade acted like she was in control, and calm, but she was really the one that had the least restraint.

Jade's fingernails ran a bit too far and Tori snatched Jade's wrist to stop her. Jade turned to look at Tori with the corners of her lips curled mischievously.

"Do you want to dance?" Jade said with some spontaneity.

"Dance?" Tori said after a moment.

"I would hope you'd know how." Jade said as she ran her fingers back down Tori's leg and stood up, "Hold out your wrist." Tori sighed and held out her arm. Jade's cool fingers wrapped around Tori's wrist and pulled her up. Jade pulled Tori close so their bodies were pressed against each other. Jade smiled and took her PearPod out. She pulled the earphones out and dropped them on the coffee table. Jade scrolled down the song list and put one on. There was no significance to the song, but there was significance to the moment. Tori looked up almost dreamily at Jade.

"Don't look at me like that." Jade said jokingly.

"Then how should I look at you?" Tori asked, aware of the fact that they were swaying lightly to the music now. Not very fast, but at a slow pace. Jade's hands held on to Tori's sides and Tori's fingers were linked together behind Jade's neck. "Like this." Jade said as she leaned over and brushed her lips against Tori's, but proceeded to pull back.

"That's it?"

"I wanted you to look at me like this." Jade whispered to Tori. "Like what?" Tori cocked her head and looked at Jade. "Like you want me to do it again." Jade leaned in and actually kissed Tori this time. It was such a comforting feeling to have what Tori always thought was the spawn of evil locking her lips onto hers. Actually, it was exhilarating to feel that line of love and hate bleed and blur. Jade tasted like butter... Or something buttery. Their bodies were pressed so tightly together that heat radiated between them. Jade's tongue was tracing along Tori's lips, lightly parting them so she could push into her mouth. Every time she did that she wanted to gasp for air, because her body spiked with heat and her face flushed a deep red. Jade always made fun of it, but secretly thought it was kind of cute. Just like whenever she comes over to her house after school and Tori has her glasses on. Jade always found that really cute. Tori's hands snuck their way into the other girl's hair, and pulled Jade closer. Proximity. Chemistry. That's all it was about. The two girls were swaying from foot to foot to the music. Tori's mind was thinking simple thoughts. About how Jade's mouth felt, how her tongue tasted, and how soft her hair felt... And of course about the circles, the ones Jade was making on Tori's back.

Jade lost a sense of where she was as she got lost in the moment. Of course she knew she was still in the Vega residence. She knew this house like the back of her hand. When they first started doing whatever it is they were doing, their meetings were few and far between, but then there more and more, especially after she broke up with Beck. They tried to avoid Jade's house unless her father had late meetings, but there was still a chance her mother would be there. They were at Tori's house sometimes, but only when her parents weren't there. They even hazarded locking Tori's bedroom door while her sister was there. Most of the time they walked somewhere other teens wouldn't be. Like the park, or the woods. Jade loved walking in the woods for some reason. Especially in the winter with all the dead trees.

Recently, though, Jade has been coming over even when Tori's family was around, knowing full well she couldn't do anything but act like a friend. Those were actually Tori's favorite meetings. When they were alone, the conversation was simple, flirty, teasing, but during those days they talked about stuff.

One time, Jade brought over a horror movie she had made and watched it late at night when only Trina was up. She remembered that whenever there was a scary part, she would turn into Jade's side and grip at her shirt, putting her head into Jade's neck. Jade would snicker, then kiss her head. She really loved those times.

All of a sudden, the song ended and Tori was roused from her thoughts. Jade pulled out of the kiss, much to Tori's dismay. Tori made it evident that she didn't like it by letting out a long groan.

"Want more, Vega?" Jade taunted

"Of course." Tori said, noticing the evil look one Jade's face.

"Let's take this to the next level, then." Jade suggested.

Tori's heart stopped. Next level? As in dating? "Next level?" Jade smiled, "Yeah." She slammed Tori against the wall, trapping her there. This is where things got rough. This is where Jade lets it all go. Jade crushed her lips down on Tori's, her fingers running down the brunette's sides and to the hem of her shirt. Jade broke the kiss and pulled the shirt up over Tori's head and throwing it to the floor.

"Jade...?" Tori said. Jade placed a kiss on Tori's neck and replied, "Vega?"

"What are you doing?" Tori asked, but she made no moves to stop Jade's assault on her neck.

"Taking things to the next level." Jade said while running circles across Tori's exposed torso.

"Should we do this?" Tori thrummed her idle fingers against the wall behind her.

"Don't worry, I've got protection, babe." Jade grinned as she wiggled her fingers in front of Tori's eyes. Jade grazed her teeth along Tori's neck and Tori put her head back, shutting her eyes. It felt intense, the both of them were dripping with tension.

"I mean... Couldn't something bad happen?" Tori said, not opening her eyes once. Her body lifted off the back of the wall, needing to press against Jade. Tori felt Jade pull back, allowing her room to move freely.

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable." Jade said, stepping back, and taking all contact away. Tori immediately regretted saying anything. "So if you don't want to do this..." Jade put her fingertips on Tori's stomach under her breasts that were still covered by the bra . "Then stop me." Jade started to run her fingers down Tori's bare stomach, the core toned from dancing. Tori felt electricity jump down the path Jade's fingers made. "Tell me how bad this is and how wrong it would be, Tori." Jade drew out Tori's first name like it was some sort of sacred word Jade only said when nobody else could hear. Lots of people used Tori's first name, but when Jade did, it meant something different. When Jade said it, which was rarely, it felt like something caring, amazing, sexy, and invigorating. When Jade used her first name, it was like showing her own vulnerability. As soon as Tori heard Jade say her name, she grabbed the goth girl's wrists. Jade looked into Tori's eyes about to pull away and apologize, but Tori pulled Jade's hands all the way down to the top of her skirt.

"I knew it, Vega." Jade said as she pulled on the skirt, pushing it down to a pool on the floor around her ankles along with her underwear. They shakily stepped to the left away from the garments on the floor. Jade put her hands on Tori's shoulders to stop her from shaking.

"You okay?" Jade asked, holding the trembling brunette in front of her, "If you want to stop I-"

"I'm just nervous." Tori said as she grabbed Jade's hands and pulled them back to her stomach. Then there were circles again. Those wonderful thumb made circles on her skin. Tori didn't bother to stop her this time as the circles ran lower and lower, massaging her worries away. Jade leaned closer and resumed kissing the girl of her dreams and desires. Tori moaned into Jade's mouth as Jade's tongue slid past her lips. Jade retracted her mouth and ran her tongue along Tori's jawline. Jade's circles went closer and closer to where they were so wanted. Tori felt her eyes roll up to look at the ceiling while Jade kissed down her neck.

"What am I supposed to do?" Tori asked so quietly that Jade just barely heard it. "Relax..." Jade whispered back. Jade's circles were on her legs, rounding her thighs so close to where it was wanted so badly. Jade touched it, but quickly brushed back to her thighs.

"Damn it, Jade!" Tori hissed. Jade smirked and before Tori knew it, the circles were on a much more sensitive area. Tori gasped and reached up to grab the deep purple fabric on Jade's shoulders. Tori's fingernails dug into Jade's shoulder, making Jade whimper. Jade was getting off on this as much as Tori was.

The circles didn't stop. The kept brushing around that sensitive spot that made Tori wild, what ever it was called. She felt Jade stop sucking on her skin and move up to her ear. The circles didn't stop, but Tori wrapped her legs around Jade's waist, almost without thinking about it. Jade whispered in her ear, "Just relax, keep breathing." She smiled, kissing Tori's ear.

"What are you gonna-Oh my god!" Tori yelped as Jade sunk a finger into her. Jade smirked, shushing the youngest Vega. She went back to assaulting her neck and used her free hand to undo the clasp of Tori's bra, letting it fall to the floor. Jade pulled that finger out and thrust it back in, capturing moans from Tori. Tori was so scared, she had no idea what to do. She was holding on to Jade as if her life depended on it, clutching the purple shirt. Jade's hand went down to support Tori with her free hand. "You're really beautiful, you know that?" Jade commented.

Was Tori supposed to say something? She didn't think she could if she wanted to. Her body was moving on its own. It almost felt natural. Tori's hips ground against Jade's and the girl in control groaned at the feeling. Tori's mind was losing it's grip on thoughts as the finger pumped into her and that thumb made those perfect circles. So many circles. Whose thumb? Jade's. All she thought about was Jade. Jade. Jade. "Jade..."

Jade brought her tongue over Tori's nipple. She was surprised at how well she picked things up. It wasn't like nobody talked about or like she hadn't seen things about it. She was honestly scared and felt like she knew nothing. She'd never let Tori know that, though. Jade too got lost in the rythm. Stimulus, response, stimulus, response. It was almost unecessary to think. Tori's bubbling feels felt overwhelming and all at once, Jade pulled out and pressed to fingers into her. At that moment, Tori lost her stability and fell apart, a wonderful pleasure surging through her body and out on to Jade's hand. Tori felt everything grow fuzzy and she fell limp.

Jade slowly let the half-Latina slip to the floor in her Arms. They sat on the floor, Jade holding Tori, stroking her hair lightly and kissing her head.

The moment was bittersweet. Sweet because she felt amazing to see Tori this happy and relaxed, but bitter because in a moment Tori would come back to her senses and she would have to go back to school the next day and hate Tori. It was just a game, but one that made her feel horrible. She liked to taunt her and tease her even when they weren't at school, but when they were at school, there was no care or concern behind her words. Although she did stuff with Tori she didn't with anyone else, like hugging, fist bumping occasionally, it was simply out of her need to break character and show herself to Tori. The real her. It was a lot of work though. Work she didn't want to do.

"...Jade?" Tori said as she regained her senses. Jade smiled at the sound of her voice. "I'm right here, baby." Jade whispered in her ear. Tori's blissfully clear mind was unclouded and brought back to the reality. She sat up slowly and looked at the black haired girl holding her so tenderly. Jade West. Whom she hated mere months ago and still acts as though she does during the day. She suddenly felt really selfish, shouldn't Jade get to feel the way she did?

Tori moved once she felt feeling again and clumsily turned her body over to be on top of Jade."You're serious?" Jade challenged. Tori nodded and pulled the draping purple shirt off Jade revealing a black bra. Jade seemed to be comfortable enough sitting against the wall so Tori craned over and kissed at Jade's collarbone, sucking on the skin lightly.

"I should mention you're gonna have a hickey on the crook of your neck." Jade said lazily as Tori kissed away. As Tori heard this, she pulled back and stared at Jade who was so content with the news that upset Tori.

"What am I gonna say? How do I cover that up?" Tori asked. Jade smiled, tracing an 'X' over Tori's heart with her finger. "Wear a turtleneck." Jade said, then laughed and added, "Wear your glasses too." Tori sighed and smiled, getting the joke. "You're odd, Jade."

"You know me." Jade said softly as Tori pulled off her boots and socks, throwing them somewhere in the room. She kissed at Jade's chest, running her tongue and teeth over every inch of skin she could while she toyed with the top of Jade's skirt. After a minute, Tori grew impatient and pulled Jade's skirt down, also with her underwear.

"So... How do I do this?" Tori asked, running her fingers around Jade's thin thighs. "You'll get the hang of it." Jade said as she took Tori's hands and led it right to her entrance. Tori hesitantly explored, running finger over certain areas until she felt Jade tense up over that one spot. Must be the same for everyone. Tori rubbed it again and Jade groaned, surrendering her will.

Tori paused for a moment to look at Jade who had her eyes shut so tightly and her mouth parted in such a sexy manner. "Tori, please..." Jade whined, curling her fingers into a fist. Tori stroked at the spot lightly, enjoying Jade's reaction as she fell apart. Tori unhooked Jade's bra, taking her hand away from that sensitive spot for a moment. Jade moved her arms to let the bra fall off. "Tori..." Jade moaned again. Tori's first name fell off Jade's lips like an incantation of some dark spell. If she had been moaning 'Vega', it wouldn't have had the same effect. Vega was more of a nickname. One that had become an alias for Tori. Tori's shaky fingers found their way back to that spot. Tori's kisses ghosted across Jade's pale skin, pressing against her nipple.

"Come on, Tori. Fuck me already." Jade was always the first one to get vulgar. It was understandable though. Tori cussed on occasion, but it wasn't near as bad as Jade. Tori complied with Jade's demands and pushed a finger into the pale girl. Jade's hips pressed back against her when she did it, and Jade moaned loudly. The look of pure ecstasy on Jade's face made Tori smile. All the control and will that Jade usually possessed was completely gone. It was refreshing for Tori. Tori did exactly as Jade had done, pressing further inside of the goth. They found that rhythm once again. It wasn't hard. It was a bit like dancing, except much hotter and intense. Of course it was a lot more intimate than dancing too.

Tori couldn't help but kiss Jade again in the moment as the rocked away from each other then back in again. Jade's reaction was there, but she was kind of weak. Almost like her body had just given into the pleasure. It felt amazing too, but Jade didn't neglect the kiss. She pressed back as much as she could before she felt everything get faster. She couldn't take it anymore and was driven over the edge, screaming Tori's name into the mouth covering her own and slipping into that wonderful limbo that Tori had just come out of.

After Jade had recovered, they found themselves sitting against the wall, heaving and sighing. Long before they spoke, Jade was rubbing circles against Tori's hips. Those damn circles. They comforted Tori, made her feel like Jade was protecting her. Of course the Jade Tori first met when she joined Hollywood Arts was rigid, cold, uncaring, and rough, like some sort of angular shape. That was just a disguise though. The real Jade was softer, still liked to mess around, watch scary stuff, and destroy things, but definitely much smoother. That girl had run circles on ever inch of Tori's body. Now there were circles inside her most sensitive areas.

Jade especially left circles on her heart. The intelligent, creative, expressive, and talented girl was so stunning. Tori thought back over what they had done and realized something.

"Hey, you called me 'baby'." Tori stated, pushing herself off the girl to sit beside her. Jade thought back, and she had called Tori that. "I guess I did." she answered.

"How sweet." Tori gave a genuine smile. A blush rose on Jade's pale face.

"I'm not sweet." Jade dismissed the thought of her being sweet in any way. "It was just a thing, you know?"

"Where did you learn to do that anyway?" Tori wouldn't be surprised if Jade had had sexual ventures in the past. Jade never came off as the conservative always do the right thing girl.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jade had to admit it was mostly luck. She had heard things, but it was mostly just a guess, and a bit of natural instinct... And it wasn't like her thoughts never drove her to lock her door and '_think_' about Tori at night. That girl drove her insane.

"Well... I mean was I... Like..." Tori stammered, looking down, "Your first?" Jade swallowed and nodded without saying a word. Tori felt something special in knowing that this was Jade's first time. It was another part of the circle.

"I love you." Jade whispered. That was where the circle ended. Every time. Circles don't end though, so it would start again tomorrow with their charade of hate at school. The vicious circle of life that destroyed everything through the day and rebuilt it at night. They both knew that there was no hope for them. They could never be together, yet they would never be apart. They'll never be just friends. They'll hate each other, and love each other until they die, but they'll never be friends. They can't be together, because it would never work. They could do whatever they wanted, but they'll never be anymore than they are right now.

The circle just spirals into oblivion.

..::..::..::..::..::..

Author's Notes: So, this is a one-short for now. I kinda like it, but I'm working on another story, so even if I turned this into something more, it would be slow to update. If you like it, and think I should continue, just favorite, follow, or review. Sorry if it was a bit bittersweet.


	2. Chapter 2

Jade broke the kiss. Tori was breathing so hard that the sound of her breath drowned out the orchestra that was practicing down the hall. There was always music somewhere in their school. Tori stopped wearing turtlenecks today, so this was the first time Jade had tasted Tori's neck in a few days. She dropped a couple sly remarks about the turtlenecks, calling Robbie out on one of them. The first day after the night that changed everything was difficult for Jade's character. She came to school and all she could think about was Tori's face whenever Jade pushed her over the edge. To compensate, she was especially mean to Tori.

That hurt.

It hurt Tori, but it hurt Jade more. The circles that she ran over Tori's body meant nothing if she was going to be a bitch to Tori the next morning. Wait, when did she start to care about Tori? When this started, Tori was just a drug to use and forget about... Now she felt like Tori was her comfort food.

Jade put her face into Tori's shoulder, trying not to cry. Jade didn't cry. That wasn't like her. Actually she did, she just didn't show people. Tori had seen her cry, and so had Beck... But they know how that ended. So what was the problem? Why did she feel guilty about treating Tori this way? Tori's hand was on the back of Jade's head, stroking her hair lightly.

"This isn't normal, is it?" Tori whispered. She could talk normally, but oddly, whispering felt appropriate for the situation. "Our relationship, I mean."

Jade pulled away from Tori's shoulder, but kept her hands on Tori's waist. Tori's hands fell to Jade's shoulders, and she stared into her icy blue gaze.

"Is this about Monday?" Jade whispered back, scanning Tori's eyes with her own. Tori shook her head, not breaking eye contact. She would never be able to live with herself if she had hurt Tori or made her feel uncomfortable because of what they did. Damn it, she was caring about her again.

"No. It's about whatever it is that we're doing. Is it normal to hate the person you love?" Tori must have not thought about it much. It was understandable, she did have lots of work, but did she never question this until recently?

"No. No it's not. It's wrong and it's messed up." Jade fell silent for a moment, but Tori knew she wasn't finished. "We're messed up." Jade always added that shade of gray to everything. That deep charcoal gray made everything seem darker. Or maybe she just saw the world for what it really was.

"Why can't we be right?" Tori breathed. Jade leaned closer, pushing her nose against Tori's. "Isn't it better being wrong?" her words slipped out of her mouth and they sunk into Tori's lips.

"I don't understand." Tori bit down on her tongue, feeling stupid for saying that. Jade sighed. She pulled back an inch from Tori and gathered her thoughts.

"It's like a circle. We start out hating, end up loving, and repeat. It's natural." Jade looked down, she didn't want to look at Tori's pleading eyes, "I don't understand it either."

"Jade, I-" Tori was cut off by the sound of the bell. Jade broke away and turned around to collect her bag. "You what?" Jade said, turning around to face Tori. "I, uhm..." Tori trailed off, having lost her confidence to say the words. Jade raised a brow and shot a quizzical look at Tori. The muffled sound of people walking and chattering filled the air, yet Tori's silence was louder. Jade's eyes grew heavy with concern and Tori looked at the wall and mumbled, "Nevermind." She turned and grasped the cold metal handle of the door, but Jade snatched her wrist.

"Tell me." Jade growled. Goosebumps rose on Tori's skin around the place Jade touched. Tori let go of the door handle, and fell back against the wall. Even in the dark, she knew this room so well... If you can call it a room. It was a sanctuary for her. A joint haven she shared with Jade. When she felt personal turmoil, she came here.

"I'm confused... It's like... Like you're a super hero." Tori began. Jade chuckled and dropped her bag on the ground, knowing she wasn't going to make it to next period. "Like you have this secret identity, I'm just supposed to accept. I don't like it." Jade sat down on the floor and sighed. She patted the floor and Tori sat down next to her.

"What if I said you have to accept it?" Jade found the half empty cup of coffee she had bought in with her. It wasn't hot anymore since they had been kissing for quite a while. She drank it anyways. "I'd say hell no." Tori responded stubbornly. "So you'd leave me?" Jade challenged.

"No." Tori said softly, but changed to a firmer tone, "But I'd want an explanation." Tori was hard headed, and never gave up easily.

"I like that about you, Vega. You put up a fight." Jade smirked, drinking her coffee, "It's no fun if the other person bends over backwards for you." She trailed off, gathering her thoughts before trying to explain her feelings. "Vega... Tori, I just-"

Something happened in that moment that neither one of them expected. It was simply a flubbed line, and for a brief second, Jade showed weakness for just a moment, and a back door was revealed to Tori. A secret passageway that let Tori in behind Jade's walls. As soon as Tori saw that kingdom beyond those mental blocks glinting in Jade's eyes, she knew the answer.

"It's because you care about me." Tori stated. Her voice was so quiet, and the statement was so simple. It made the problem Jade had blown out of proportion in her head seem so clear and simple. Jade looked up from her coffee and stared into Tori's brown eyes. The innocence Jade saw made her choke. How could Tori be so sexy and daring, wanting to dabble in the darker things of life one moment, then be so sweet and innocent the next? Tori leaned closer to Jade. Tori's mouth was so close to Jade's ear. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, and her breathing became shallow. "Isn't that the reason?" Tori whispered.

Jade nodded, holding her coffee tightly. Listening to her blood rushing and her pulse pounding. "I break hearts, Tori." She swallowed, looking away. "I broke Beck's heart... I'll break your heart too. In some way, I'll screw it up, and if I do it while we're like this, you'll be able to convince yourself it was all just a very bad dream."

"Jade. I've done things with you I can never forget. You're going to be a big part in my life, no matter how I remember you. Can you just take a chance on me? Please?" Tori gave a cheesy grin that made Jade want to laugh, but she couldn't laugh. This was serious. She was very controlled, and her emotions were in check… and she saw those three eyed cows this morning. Jade was an emotional wreck, she didn't show it of course. Jade turned to see the side of Tori's neck. Tori's head tilted slightly so she was locking at her out of the corner of her eyes. Jade's eyes went to Tori's lips and then slid up to the girl's eyes.

She wanted to say yes. She wanted to kiss Tori in the hallways, and take her hand when she walks. She wanted every taunt and tease to be flirty and fun instead of mean and malicious, but she can't. Her father is homophobic, and her mother hates everything she does. Jade didn't care about her reputation, but she's pretty sure there would be lots of rumors. She brought the girl back into focus and was ready to say 'No.' Until she saw Tori's eyes. Saying no would be like kicking a puppy. A poor, homeless, recently unemployed puppy.

"Vega... My dad, my mom, the school…" Jade stuttered, trying to get the words to come together. "Jade. Yes or no?" Tori whispered. Tori's hand slipped on to Jade's leg, making her breath hitch. Jade made a decision right then and there. One that was pretty rash, and sporadic, but changed everything between them forever.

"Leave. Go to your locker." Jade commanded. Tori's heart dropped. She nodded and kissed Jade on the cheek. This was her decision, and Tori accepted that. Tori stood up, picking up her bag and walking to her locker. She clicked her combination and opened her locker. On the locker door there were photos of the gang. Her favorite picture was the one of her, Jade, and Cat at Karaoke Dokie. She looked into the mirror and fixed her hair. She could still feel Jade's fingers running through the brown locks.

Trina's annoying voice dragged Tori out of the fantasy running through her mind like a movie reel. "Tori, I need a dollar." Tori sighed, "What for?" Trina made a loud groan and stomped her foot. "Pizza! Just gimme!"

Tori groaned mockingly and pulled out a dollar. A loud, familiar voice yelled from behind her, "Vega!" She spun around and met Jade's piercing gaze. What insult could she possibly have after what she had just done? Tori's thoughts were interrupted by Jade's lips.

On hers.

In the hallway.

In front of everyone.

One of Jade's hands was on her face. One of Jade's fingers rubbed circles behind Tori's ear. Her other hand grasped Tori's wrist. Tori was far too stunned to move. She was, however, kissing Jade back. Jade knew it too. Tori melted in to the most nervous kiss of her life. Everyone was watching them. Some people were showing obvious disgust towards the not-so-straight display of affection. Others, mostly the boys, were whistling or clapping. But most everyone, if they knew anything about the two girls were paralyzed with shock. If you knew Jade, you know she hated Tori. If you knew Tori, then you knew she kept fighting with Jade. Then here the were, kissing. Jade pulled away from Tori.

Tori was frozen with shock. Her hand that wasn't clutching the dollar had wound into an awkward position where it was gripping Jade's forearm. Jade's other arm took the dollar out of Tori's hand and put it into the hand of the older Vega sister. Trina stammered, equally shocked by the moment.

"Get your pizza." Jade said, leaning around Tori to push the stunned Trina towards the Asphalt Café. Jade pried her arm out of Tori's grip and hooked that arm around Tori's waist, pulling her closer.

"So are you two like… together?" a surprised student in the small group that had gathered said. Others were busy texting on their PearPhones. Jade felt Tori's phone buzz. Tori mumbled something and pulled the phone out. Beck had forwarded a message that had a picture of Jade kissing Tori. A series of question marks followed the forwarded text. Jade's free hand plucked the phone out of Tori's grasp and put it in her own pocket. "Don't worry about that." Jade said.

"So are you?" Another voice said. "I dunno, would you like to go out with me, Vega?" Jade's nose brushed Tori's, reminding them both about their proximity. "Yes." Tori squeaked, still dazed. "Then yes, we are dating." The whole group of people buzzed with gossip. More and more people were clamoring to see if two of the hottest girls in school were still locking lips.

"Let's get to class." Jade whispered. He tugged Tori off and headed towards Sikowitz room after hearing the bell. "Jade, what was that?"

"A kiss and a question." She replied. Tori shook her head, "But… your dad, your mom, the circle… what happened to that."

Jade turned around, pressing their bodies close together once more.

"I don't think I care." Jade said.

"Why?" Tori asked, staring into Jade's eyes.

"Because I'm in love."

..::..::..::..::..::..

Author's Notes: Tell me what you think? I think I might have one last chapter I can get out of this.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: This ended up soooo much longer than I had expected. Once again, excuse any mistakes, I'll re-read this again tomorrow, but I wanted to get it up tonight.

..::..::..::..::..::..

Then he told me I had ten minutes to pack my shit and get out of his house." Jade said. She was sitting on Tori's bed, which is against the side of one of the long walls, opposite was a desk with a computer and swivel chair that Tori was situated in. There were posters and pictures lined the purple walls of Tori's room. Jade ran the tip of her scissors under her fingernail, picking out the dirt. She took a tissue and wiped the dirt off the tip of the scissors. "So I packed up all my clothes, scissors, and stuff and left."

"I can't help but feel like this is my fault." Tori groaned, putting her head between her hands. "If I never would have wanted us together, your dad would have never found out-" Jade pointed the scissors at Tori and shushed her. "This is not your fault, Vega. I knew this was going to happen."

Tori looked up at Jade. The girl hadn't cried since she had shown up at Tori's front door. It made her wonder if she really wasn't broken up about this or if she's just acting again. She hates the idea of Jade getting hurt because of her, and her expression must have shown it since Jade immediately picked up that Tori still felt guilty. Jade turned the scissors away from the brunette and went back to fiddling with them.

"I was never really attached to that place. I didn't belong there. It wasn't my home. I don't think I have a home." Jade stated coldly. It sounded strange to say you weren't attached to the place you've lived in since you were little, but for Jade it was perfectly logical. She rarely spent time there, and when she did, she was locked in her room away from her family.

"But you do have a home. Here. With us." Tori said. Jade glanced over at her bag that had her belongings. It wasn't really much; it had her scissors, clothes, photos, music, laptop, and phone. Jade shook her head. She didn't deserve Tori's help or home. She had a hard time believing she deserved Tori's love.

"I can't ask that of you and your family." Jade sighed. She put down the scissors and picked up Tori's PearPod, scrolling through her songs idly. She came here only because Tori was the only one she trusted. Tori stood up from her chair and walked over to the bed. She pulled herself on to the bed and put her back against the wall, pressing her shoulder into Jade's. Jade bit her lip and continued to casually scroll through the music.

"I'm not letting you leave. I'll tie you to the chair if I have to, but you are not going out on the streets." Tori said, putting her hand on Jade's knee.

"Kinky." Jade noted without looking up. She swiped her thumb across the screen and watched as the song titles slipped past.

"This is serious, Jade." Tori said. Jade's automatic response was to be mean or make a joke about it. That was the defense mechanism built into her brain. She always found some way to avoid the problem. Jade shook her head again. Tori always forced her to face those problems she refused to look in the eye. That's probably the reason why Tori compliments Jade so well. "Okay. Fine. I'll stay, but just don't expect me to be nice to Trina." Jade resolved.

"Great! You can stay in the guest room. My parents won't care." Tori giggled excitedly. Jade couldn't help but smile. Tori's happiness was contagious, and even Jade felt a little fuzzy when Tori smiled. Jade touched a finger to scroll, but one song in particular made her stop mid-swipe. She slid her finger back to the song and chuckled.

"Dancing in the Dark?" Jade questioned. She raised her pierced eyebrow and let that smile grow into something a little more evil. Tori's face grew heavy with confusion, which quickly dissolved into embarrassment as she looked at the display on the PearPod.

"Uhm-Yeah, it's uh… got a good beat." Tori stammered. Her discomfort only served to feed Jade's prerogative, "Is that it, Vega? A good beat?" Tori snatched the music device from Jade's pale hands. "Wait, do you dance in the dark, Tori?" There was the first name again. It's using either pissed or flirty whenever Jade used Tori's first name.

"What? N-no!" Tori's face was bright red, even on her tan skin. The blush was like paint dashed across her face. Tori was so flustered that Jade was having trouble keeping a straight face. Tori shook her head vigorously and repeated, "No!"

"Sure? Cause I think that'd be pretty hot." Jade put a finger to her lips and gave a distantly thoughtful look while she imagined Tori doing some not so innocent things to herself.

"Jade!" Tori whined, jabbing the pale girl in the side with her finger. Jade finally broke and laughed. She chuckled at Tori's expense until their moment was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Tori? Is Jade okay?" Tori's mom called through the door. He mom was handling this well. When she found out that Tori was dating Jade, she had to take a minute to let it sink in, but she said that she accept her daughter no matter what. When Jade showed up in the rain on their doorstep, she had been so ready to open her home to this girl that she only knew in passing.

"Yeah, we're fine, mom." Tori called back. Jade's fingers slipped neatly between Tori's fingers against the fabric of the bed covers. "Great, even." Tori added. Jade's head slid across the wall until it was lying on Tori's shoulder. Jade's fluffy romantics were always Tori's favorites.

"Okay, well, if you girls need anything, I'm here." Tori's mom was concerned about Jade not only because she was a good person, but because she admired how well mannered Jade had always been. Jade may not have been the nicest person all the time, but she wasn't rude. Jade found the silence that enveloped them comforting. She really started to come to terms with what was happening. She was never going to see her parents or home again. Tori squeezed Jade's hand.

"Are you okay?" Tori muttered, not wanting to break the silence. Jade shut her eyes tightly. Was she okay? Good question. She just lost so much, and gained just as much.

"No." Jade said quietly. She wasn't going to cry; she promised herself. It didn't hurt too badly, but it didn't feel like rainbows either. Jade was always acting, so it was easy to become detached. "Tori. I spend a lot of time smiling when I don't feel like smiling, and laughing when I don't feel like laughing. I guess I don't understand the meaning of happy. It just doesn't make sense to me. Honestly? I'm sad. Really sad. All the time, like there's this weight on my chest, and I'm forced to act happy, because people expect that. Now, I'm not hiding anything anymore, and I feel like I don't know who I am. It makes me feel so weak… but, I'm not… right?" That was probably the most Jade had said in a long time, and what she said was so revealing. Tori stared at Jade for a moment, processing all the information twice. Jade was an even better actress than she had thought.

"Jade, you're the strongest person I know. When you tear down all the walls someone has, they're going to show weakness. No matter how strong they are." Tori rubbed her thumb lightly across Jade's. Jade shut her eyes and leaned her head back against Tori's arm. After a moment of silence, Tori knew Jade sulking in her room wasn't going to help anything.

"Come on, we're going to get ice cream." Tori smiled, jumping up. Jade's hand was jerked forward with the motion.

"Vega…" Jade whined, "Can we stay here?"

Tori tightened her grip on Jade's hand and yanked the goth up off the bed, pulling Jade against her, "No. Ice cream makes everything better. Let's go. On me." Jade sighed as Tori pulled her along.

..::..::..::..::..::..

"Here you go." Tori said, handing Jade the ice cream. Jade turned her eyes away from the view of the eastern part of L.A. that could be seen from the metal picnic table outside the ice cream parlor. Of course, If you turned around, you would see a shopping mall, but at least there was nice cityscape from this view. Jade's fingers of one hand were hooked into the holes of the cheap blue metal bench and the other hand took the ice cream. Tori sat down next to Jade and stared out at the same view Jade had been mesmerized by earlier.

"Breath-taking, right?" Tori broke the silence. Jade looked at Tori who was already working on he rice cream. She was trying to think of something to say that would make them both more comfortable with the situation.

"Like you?" Jade licked the ice cream and raised an eyebrow suggestively. She had meant it as a joke, but it came off way sexier than she had intended, and Tori's eyes focused on Jade's mouth for longer that appropriate and ran up to her steely blue eyes. Jade could pull off sexy anytime she wanted.

"You must be feeling better if you're trying _**that**_ again." Tori taunted. Jade immediately understood and let a reactive smirk sprawl across her face.

"Can't blame a girl for trying." Jade mumbled. It may be night but it was oddly warm out, like most of the time in L.A. "I should do something now, right?" Jade asked rhetorically then snaked her fingers between Tori's once again. It was really nice. Most of the time someone's fingers were too big or too small, or their hands were too sweaty or calloused. Jade wasn't like that; her hands were just right. If Tori were Goldilocks, then Jade would be Baby Bear because she was just right. Tori toyed with the idea of calling Jade 'Baby Bear' but had the conclusion that Jade would either vomit or come up with an even more embarrassing nickname for Tori. Tori looked up from their hands and found herself staring into Jade's eyes. Jade's finger came up under Tori's chin, and she nudged Tori's head further in as she leaned over. When their lips were a breath apart, they heard someone calling their names.

"Tori! Jade!" Beck yelled across the parking lot. Jade almost jumped out of her seat as she reeled back. Tori _did_ jump out of her seat, but her knee slammed against the table and she came crashing back down.

"Fuck." Jade hissed, holding onto Tor's hand very tightly, refusing to let the one good thing she had left go. Tori was rubbing her sore leg while Beck sat down.

"How strange seeing you guys here." Beck said as he stuffed himself with ice cream in a teenage-esque manner.

"Strange how?" Jade almost sneered as she nervously licked away at her own ice cream. Beck saw the picture so he had to know, right? Though a popular rumor on The Slap was that the picture had been photoshopped.

"The rumor going around about you two." Beck went straight to the point. He must really want to know. "You know, the one where you two are dating." He glanced up at them, unable to see their hand gripped together under the table. Jade took a moment to think Tori didn't say anything. This was something Jade had to face, but Tori would back up whatever choice Jade would make.

"We are." Jade stated firmly, taking a bite out of the soft cone that held the remaining ice cream she couldn't reach. Beck looked up, and Tori nodded. He was silent for a moment, but then he sat back and laughed.

"All right! You got me. Good one! Where's the hidden cameras, huh?" He chuckled.

"We're serious." Jade said softly, tightening her already knuckle-whitening grip on Tori's hand. Tori put her other hand over Jade's to try and release the grip in hopes of getting circulation back in her hand. Jade eased up the vice on Tori's hand but continued to glare at Beck.

"No way. Okay, then prove this isn't a prank." Beck said, obvious distrust plastered on his face. Jade opened her mouth and realized her reply was void. She had been prepared to argue with Beck, so his comment was an unexpected event. She had lost the rhythm of the conversation all together.

"What?" Jade said dumbly. Beck raised his eyebrows and finished off his ice cream. "Go on. Prove you two are together."

Jade swallowed. She knew exactly what Beck meant. The first time she kissed Tori around people took some serious 'psyching up' and it only worked because Trina was the only ne she knew there. Now Beck was staring them down. Jade made some affirmative nose and turned to look at Tori. Tori nodded, but she looked just as terrified. They leaned in and both met half-way.

It was the worst kiss ever.

Jade was too far over, Tori was too far back, and they couldn't catch each other's lips just right. There was too much tongue, then not enough tongue. There was absolutely no spark lit. They pulled apart feeling absolutely horrible. Beck was chuckling across the table. Jade looked over at him.

"Yeah, that was _**so**_ convincing. It didn't seem forced at all." His sarcastic comment came. Jade's astonished gaze narrowed into a glare. She tore her hand from Tori's and grabbed Tori's head, pulling her into a smoldering kiss. Jade pushed her tongue into Tori's mouth and the spark was lit like a fuse to some sort of atomic bomb. Tori grabbed Jade's sides just in case she started to melt. Tori knew her face was burning hot with a blush and almost felt self-conscious about it, but since she had another girl's tongue in her mouth, she didn't really care. Jade's fingers tangled themselves into Tori's brown hair. Tori was breathing so rapidly that her nose started to burn, and she could feel that Jade's breathing was becoming sporadic also. They fought the strange feeling to enjoy the heat that was flowed across their faces. Unfortunately, the need to breath became overwhelming and they broke apart.

Their foreheads were pressed together and their mouths hung open as they gasped for breath in each other's mouths. Jade opened her eyes to meet Tori's soft ones. Jade pulled back, realizing she had leaned quite a ways over. She suddenly remembered the purpose of the kiss and looked over at Beck. He was dumbstruck and red faced.

"Believe it now?" Jade said, snuggling her head into Tori's while Beck searched for words. Jade let her hands slip down from Tori's hair and settled on Tori's hips. Tori's fingers remained on Jade's side. With every breath, their chests touched, then fell away with each exhale.

"Whatever." Beck grumbled, regaining composure. "Just, enjoy whatever this fling is, because it won't last." He nearly shouted and then stormed off. Neither of the girls spoke for a moment, trying to catch their breath, but all of a sudden, Jade wondered if going public with Tori and her was a good idea. If everyone was going to react the way Beck had, then maybe it wasn't worth it. Still, every time she looked into Tori's eyes, she couldn't say no.

"Why is it getting to me?" Jade asked in a whisper, "Nothing anyone said before had ever hurt."

"Jade, anyone in your position would be hurting." Tori whispered back. Her arms ran around Jade's back and she hugged her tightly, "But I'm here."

..::..::..::..::..::..

It wasn't so simple and Jade knew it was going to be hard, but she didn't realize how hard. When they got to school and told everyone the news, they all had different reactions. Beck just snorted and continued to flirt with some girl he had started dating a week or so ago. André seemed extremely comfortable with it, to the point of drooling whenever he saw them kiss for the first time. Robbie was confused at first, but soon became extremely curious, asking a lot of questions about their relationship. Jade had gotten in the habit of stopping him before he touched on any nerves. Cat seemed distantly aware of the relationship. When she first heard, she replied with her usual 'KK' and walked away. Nobody really found out what she thought. It had been a week, and they thought that they had roughed out the worst of the storm, when one of the more pretentious girls of the school had something to say about it.

Jade and Tori were idly chatting by Jade's locker. Tori was fidgeting with some scissors when, suddenly, their heads were slammed together. They ricocheted off one another and stumble back.

"Hey, losers!" The girl chuckled, "Oh, I'm sorry, did I mess up your hair?" She whipped Tori's hair into her face and laughed. Jade growled and stepped forward between the girl and Tori. The other girl smelled like caked on make-up and perfume, but you could almost smell the hint of smoke that clung to her clothes. She grabbed Jade's shoulder and slammed her against the lockers.

"You wanna take me on?" The girl mocked. Jade struggled, but she much less athletic than the girl who was built from hours of dancing. Jade managed to push her off and stepped in front of Tori defensively.

"You know what? No. You ain't worth it, dyke." The girl smirked and walked off. Jade felt a sting from that word, but she pushed the feeling of pain aside and turned to Tori.

"Are you okay?" Jade asked with sincere concern. She brushed Tori's hair back to its former beauty and ran a finger through Tori's part to separate the hairs neatly on to their respective sides.

"Yeah." Tori grumbled, she knew this was going to happen and she didn't care. If that other girl wasn't an amazing dancer, she wouldn't even be in this school. Tori saw something strange in Jade's eyes. It was hurt. Something was definitely wrong. She'd been acting like Jade (the-wicked-witch-of-the) West for so long that this other Jade wasn't fully developed, and everyone else kept pushing her down when she tried to walk. Tori felt like she should say something to make her feel better.

"It was actually really cool to see you stand up for me, just don't end up getting hurt." Tori said. She looked down at the scissors quizzically, "Why do I have these?" Jade looked at the implements and grinned.

"Maybe I'm rubbing off on you." Jade didn't mean to, but they both had picked up things from the other one. Jade had started to act nicer to people (only a little bit) and started to talk like Tori a little bit. Tori started drinking coffee, and well, now she had scissors.

"I think you rub me quite enough." Tori said, hanging Jade the scissors. Jade snickered at the inappropriate-sounding comment and took the scissors, assuming they were hers. Strangely, though the scissors weren't.

"Vega, these aren't mine." Jade said, handing her girlfriend the scissors. They had 'VEGA' printed neatly on a label that was on the handle. She must have picked these up off her desk before she left. Jade really was rubbing off on her. Next thing, she'll be calling Jade by her last name. "Cute." Jade said.

"What?" Tori asked as Jade shut her locker and started walking towards Robbie, Cat André and Beck. Tori followed in line with Jade, and repeated her inquiry, "Jade, what's cute?" They came up next to the others and Cat's story about her brother filled the air.

"You're carrying around scissors. It's cute." Jade whispered, not wanting to interrupt Cat's whimsical tale. Jade's hand slipped down next to Tori's and she opened her palm to Tori. Tori accepted to offer and took Jade's hand.

"Is that like a fetish or something? Scissophilia?" Tori joked, Jade didn't say 'cute' a lot, so Tori felt it necessary to pick on her for it.

"Hey, look at you, making a sex joke." Jade smirked, but before Tori could retort, Robbie cut in.

"What about a sex joke?" Robbie interjected. The girls looked away from each other and regarded the puppet-toting nerd. Beck looked away from the two of them, flirting with that girl more instead of acknowledging their existence.

"Nothing you will ever know." Jade sneered.

"Oh, you girls have some secrets?" Rex said as he moved closer to Jade. Jade pushed the puppet's face back into Robbie's chest and gave a disgusted look.

"I can see Jade doing it, but not Tori." André noted.

"I can see Tori doing it." Jade added, giving a devious smile to her girlfriend.

"Jade!" Tori let a look of surprise jump to her features, but it soured into anger, "You're on my side!" 

"I am?" Jade looked into Tori's glare. It didn't seem to have all that much of an effect on Jade. Tori knew Jade was joking, but before she could joke back, the bell rang and everyone was hurriedly filtering into their wings, hallways, and classrooms. Jade and Tori were already off towards Algebra.

"Why do you push things like that, Jade?" Tori asked. Jade flashed a confused look at Tori as if to question her mental state, but didn't say anything. Tori had hoped for a 'what?' but there was none. Jade didn't like to talk too much if she wasn't in the mood. Which was most of the time they were in school. If she did say something in school, it was usually mean. When she was in the mood, she joked, teased, taunted, flirted, creeped, and carried small conversations, but you couldn't push too deep or she'd close up. Tori had learned that you had to nurture it and be very careful and sneaky to get around Jade's barriers and get her to talk about what was really on her mind. Late night talks on Tori's bed or out in her yard. Tori clarified her statement, "Do you want people to know what we did?"

Jade slowed her stride, caught off guard by the accusation. She decided to parley with Tori, throwing a question in to battle Tori's question. "Haven't you told anyone, like your parents?"

"By their definition, I'm still a virgin." Tori whispered quietly to Jade. Jade looked straight ahead, not bothering to look at Tori as she puzzled over her response. "That means no." Tori simplified.

"Well, what about your definition?" Jade responded, turning to go into the math wing. Tori furrowed her eyebrows in thought. She hadn't really taken time to recognize whether or not she had lost her virginity. She had sex for the first time, that much she was certain of, but it was with another girl. So, did it really count? Then something dawned on her. She didn't just have sex with any girl. She had sex with Jade West.

"I guess I'm not a virgin." Tori mumbled, this made Jade legitimately happy. Something about that night had changed Tori, and it bothered Jade that she didn't know what Tori had thought about it all. She wasn't about to ask though, Tori would tell her in time like she always did. As fun as playing interrogation with Tori sounds, it really wouldn't be necessary.

"Good." Jade replied, stopping next to their classroom, but far enough away so nobody could see them. Tori took Jade's free hand with hers and locked eyes.

"Kiss?" Tori asked.

"Kiss." Jade agreed before leaning in and meshing her lips softly against Tori's.

..::..::..::..::..::..

Tori woke up on Saturday morning at a little past six a.m. to a beautiful tune. She rolled over and instinctively slammed her hand against the snooze button before rolling over and shutting her eyes again. Strangely, the song didn't stop and stranger still, it had no music, just a wonderful rich voice carrying notes. Tori sat up groggily and yawned before searching her room for the source of the sound. A few minutes of searching led her to her glazed window. Beyond the window was a sturdy branch you could climb out onto a tree with. When she was little she would practically live in that tree. Tori opened the window to see Jade sitting on that very branch. One of her legs was dangling off the limb, while the other sat bent at the knee with one arm draped over it. Jade stopped singing and smiled when she saw Tori.

"Good morning, sunshine." She said a bit too sweetly considering what time it was. She was dressed in black jeans, a green v-neck shirt and black jacket with her make-up on and hair washed. It begged the question of when Jade ever slept. She was often awake when Tori went to bed, unless they fell asleep together, and was always awake when Tori got up.

"What are you doing on my tree?" Tori groaned, grabbing her glasses and pulling them over her eyes to see Jade more clearly. Jade watched as Tori grabbed a brush and sleepily combed it through her hair, trying to bring some order to the chaos of brown waves.

"Why don't you come out and see?" Jade offered. Jade lived in Tori's house, so she didn't have to climb up the tree to get into her room (which she had done before) and definitely had no reason to be outside at five a.m., so Tori humored the girl. She finished up her hair and quickly changed into jeans and a T-shirt. Tori climbed out the window and took Jade's outstretched hand as she balanced herself on to the fragile end of the branch. She got far enough out on the branch to where she could walk easily and sat down next to Jade.

"What are we doing in the dark at six in the morning?" Tori asked, still groggy from waking up. She leaned into Jade to avoid holding herself up and Jade pointed out across the tops of the buildings seen past Tori's back yard.

"It won't be dark for long." Jade said as she dropped her hand and put and arm around Tori's waist. Tori immediately understood, and watched as the reddish orange blob of a sun rose in the distance and filled the sky with brilliant hues of purples and blues. The rich colors slowly faded in and out of one another, creating a gradient against the dark blue sky. Eventually, the sun turned into a yellow and the bright colors of the sunrise warmed into a sky blue that would hang there for the rest of the day. Once they were sure that the spectacle was over, Jade pulled out her phone and check the time. It was almost seven a.m. now.

"You should probably get washed up and get some breakfast, Vega." Jade said as she nudged Tori towards the window. Tori crawled her way back into her room and stretched her tiredness out.

..::..::..::..::..::..

Jade pulled up into the parking lot of the pizza place where she and Tori were supposed to be meeting. She saw a particularly unfriendly group of kids from her school gathered there and pulled out her phone, prepared to demand Tori get done with her errands as soon as possible. When she pulled out her phone, she had a message from Beck that read: "Hey, how's the Tori thing going?"

She texted back a simple "Fine" and got out of the car. She knew the kids were looking at her and felt their gossipy eyes sizing her up like some sort of meat. They were laughing and she knew they were laughing at her as she pushed to door open to the shop. Jade sat down at a booth and pulled her phone out, once again ready to make a call to Tori, but only saw another text from Beck. "So are you just using her or what?" it read. This was really pissing her off. She fired a nasty comment back, and sank further down into her seat. The laughter of the kids in the other booth was becoming problematic. All she had to do was get up and walk over to the counter to order the pizza that Tori and her would be eating when she got there, but was actually too afraid.

The thought of fear paralyzed her. She was never one to be scared by what was to come. She had been fearless and took on whatever came her way, but now it mattered what other people thought about her? The whole thing was ridiculous, so she forced her body up and took one heartbeat, one breath, and one step at a time towards the counter. The gossipers grew quieter as Jade started to talk to the cashier.

"I'll take a half of a pizza of the special." She mumbled to the girl. The woman nodded and rang her up, reading off the price. Jade handed her a twenty and change was exchanged along with an approximation of time. Jade went back to her booth and slumped into it. Right then, one of the gossipers from the other booth made a comment.

"Did your girlfriend stand you up?" He said, resulting in wild laughter from the others.

"No." Jade grumbled. She felt so weak and useless. It was horrible.

"Don't worry, why would anybody want to stand up a girl who cheats on a guy with another girl anyways?" Another tormenter yelled. God, this can't be happening to her. Jade slid down further into her seat. Please let this be a nightmare.

"Dyke!" The word split her in two. One half wanted to scream, the other wanted to fight. She met the ideas halfway and ran. She ran straight out of the pizza place with a tear in her eye. Why was this happening to her? She was strong right? The strongest person around. She didn't care what other people thought of her. Yet, this wasn't about what they said, it was about what she thought of herself. She was confused by her feelings and identity, and that brought her to her knees. She pulled out her phone and swiped Beck's text away, dialing Tori's number.

"Vega! Vega!" She yelled into the phone, "Tori…" She looked a the phone to see the call had been dropped by the lack of service in the area. Jade slammed her back into her car. She knew the kids were looking at her, watching the girl that didn't take shit from anyone fall to pieces.

"Fucking phone." She growled as she tossed it to the ground, cracking the screen. "Alone again… I feel so weak. They all look at me like I'm some kind of freak. I can't go on living if I don't know who I am." She groaned as she let her back slide down the side of the car until she was sitting on the ground, her head behind her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs. Half the school thought she was a joke and her own parents didn't want her, so what use was she being around? "It would be better… if I had never been born." The world spun away fast until she was sitting in her own little hell. The rest of the world burned up into the flames of her own self-doubt. She didn't really like herself because she wasn't really sure who she was inside. She was truly alone.

"You're not alone." A voice said. The world came seeping back to Jade. She peeked above her knees to see a hand extended towards her, but she didn't dare look up to see who the owner of said hand was. Jade reached out, brushing her finger tips against the pads of the hand's fingers to make sure it was real. She gently put her hand in the other person's and felt the grip tighten. She was pulled up out of her hell and back to her feet. She stared into Tori's eyes. "I'm here." The other girl said.

Jade didn't even wait for an invitation, she went ahead and embraced Tori right there. She felt like heaven was mere steps away from hell, and didn't care. Tori was rubbing circles into Jade's back through the jacket, and it felt amazing. She had armor on against the people who wanted to hurt her, and Tori had Jade as an equal shield.

"Thanks. I guess, I'm trying to put the pieces together." Jade said, trying her hardest not to cry. Tori nodded. She understood what Jade meant because she felt it too.

"Good thing I'm great at jigsaw puzzles." Tori whispered into Jade's ear.

..::..::..::..::..::..

Author's Notes: God, I'm so sorry that turned into a freakin' essay. I love the ending and I'm leaving it there. It got everything out of my system and I feel good now, so thanks for your support.


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